I was born in Poonch (Kashmir) and now I live in Norway. I oppose war and violence and am a firm believer in the peaceful co-existence of all nations and peoples. In my academic work I have tried to espouse the cause of the weak and the oppressed in a world dominated by power politics, misleading propaganda and violations of basic human rights. I also believe that all conscious members of society have a moral duty to stand for and further the cause of peace and human rights throughout the world.

There seems to be considerably more consternation from the Pakistani public about the latest attack in that it hit the North-West Frontier Province as opposed to the much more loosely controlled Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of North and South Waziristan, which are normally the site of US strikes. Bannu borders both FATA agencies, and is only about 10 miles from Miramshah, but is still somewhat farther from the Afghan border than most American strikes.

The Pakistani government often publicly condemns the US strikes, and has on prior occasions summoned the US ambassador over them. Still, earlier this week it was reported that there exists a “tacit agreement” between the two nations regarding the strikes, wherein the US would not admit to the attacks and the Pakistani government would publicly condemn but privately condone them. This subjects the latest Pakistani condemnation to more scrutiny than the previous ones, and may leave the public wondering whether the “protest” is authentic or just another in a series of scripted events done for our benefit.